A Calendar of Wisdom

A state system, no matter what kind of state system it is, functions at a far remove from the requirements of Christianity.

In those countries where wise people are in power, their subjects do not notice the existence of their rulers.

State violence cannot be destroyed by decree, only by truth and love. Maybe state violence was necessary for previous generations; maybe it is even necessary now, but people should conceive of a kind of future government in which violence will not be necessary.

You should live in such a way that violence is not necessary for you.

God is in all of us, and it is possible for all of us to find and understand him there.

To know yourself is to discover the good that lies within.

God is close to us, he is with us: the divine spiritis inside of us. If he were not, the power to he good would be beyond our reach. A person cannot be good without God.

If you are going through a hard time, work harder to understand God; as soon as you understand Him, all difficult things will become easy, and you will feel love and joy.

If a person does not feel a divine force within himself, this does not mean that a divine force does not exist in him, but that he has not yet learned how to recognize it.

If there are people and there is God, then there are relationships between God and people. These relationships are changing with time, and mankind’s religious conceptions are constantly evolving, constantly improving, becoming more clear and easily understood with the passage of time.

Religious conscience of mankind is not rigid, it is changing all the time, becoming purer and clearer.

God is spirit and part of this spirit lives inside me and gives sense to my life. There is much good to be learned from the Koran, from the Buddhists, from Confucius, from the Old Testament, from the Indian Upanishads, and from the New Testament. But the closer a religious thinker or philosopher is to us in time, the more he can help us draw from these teachings in the light of our present-day lives.

The past no longer exists; the future has not yet come; there is only the present. And only in the present can the divine nature of the free human soul be manifested.

Everyone knows that our habits are improved and strengthened through their exercise. In order to be a good walker, you need to walk a lot; in order to be a strong runner, you need to run frequently; in order to be a perceptive reader, you ought to read as much as you can. The same is true of your soul: if you become angry, you must know that you not only perform evil, but you also create an evil habit, and you increase your potential for further evil.

If you want to do a good deed, do it now. The time will pass, and you will not have the chance again.

The meaning of life is revealed to those who are ready to accept the things which will be revealed. And it is he who has already decided that he will accept the truth as it is, and not the truth itself, which will change the way of life he has been accustomed to.

Who am I? What should I do? What should I believe in and what should I hope for? All of philosophy is in these questions, said the philosopher Lichtenberg. But among all these questions, the most important one is that which is in the middle. If a person knows what he should do, he will understand everything which he should know.

Woe to the people who look without understanding, who do not know their foundations.

Every bird always knows where to make her nest. And if she knows how and where to make her nest, this means that she knows her purpose in life. And why does man, who is the wisest among all creatures, not know that which any bird knows, that is, his purpose in life?

The real meaning of life is not possible to embrace, if you are looking for the universal meaning of life. And at the same time it is so simple that it can be explained to fools and to infants when what to know is what you should do as an individual.

The life of man is filled with intellect only when the fulfillment of your duty is understood. We all know for sure that death waits for us. We do not know when, just as we do not know where we came from.

Virtue is a service which a person should do for himself. If there were no heaven and no God who ruled this world, even then virtue would be the necessary law of life.

When you approach a man, you should think not about how he can help you, but how you might serve and help him.

We have the necessary law for all our actions, and this law cannot be restricted by any power. The fulfillment of this law is possible even in prison, and under the threat of tortures and death.

Look for a kind life which is in harmony with the will of God, and then you will fulfill the duty of your life.

In the same way as the storm troubles and muddies the waters, so too passions trouble our souls and interfere with our understanding of this life.

People with great and wonderful souls are always quiet and happy. Those people who do not have spirituality are always unhappy.

Do not be concerned too much with what will happen. Everything which happens will be good and useful for you.

A person will understand his place in the world only when he understands his soul.

Real power is not in momentary desires, but in complete calmness.